The Brett Favre of Connecticut politics, as in will he or won't he return, former Republican U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays confirmed Thursday he is entertaining a bid for Senate in 2012.

"I'm giving it a long, hard look," Shays told Greenwich Time and The Advocate during an interview in Darien, where he grew up.

A fixture in the House of Representatives from 1987 to 2008, Shays is now co-chairman of a special commission created by Congress to look into military contracting.

The commission is scheduled to release its final report at the end of August and dissolve in September, leaving Shays with the ability to become a full-time candidate for the seat of retiring incumbent Joe Lieberman.

Shays, 65, ruled out a run for governor last year after floating a trial balloon.

"When I was considering running for governor, I knew I would have to leave the commission before we completed our work," Shays said. "Now that my work on the commission is finishing, I have a wonderful opportunity to think about running for Senate."

Shays' comments come just days after the release of a poll by Frank Luntz showing Shays in a statistical dead-heat with U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., in a hypothetical matchup for Senate. The survey of 500 registered Connecticut voters had Murphy, who entered the race in January after Lieberman announced his retirement, leading Shays 42 to 40 percent.

The same poll had Murphy leading former WWE wrestling executive Linda McMahon, who lost to longtime Democratic Attorney General Richard Blumenthal in the 2010 Senate race, 52 to 36 percent.

McMahon is also mulling jumping into the Republican field, as well as former Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele and David Walker, a former U.S. comptroller general who coincidentally bought Shays' former home in Bridgeport.

Recently elected state GOP Chairman Jerry Labriola Jr. acknowledged that he has spoken to Shays about the prospect.

"He has a tremendous record of dedicated public service, serving as congressman for 20 years," Labriola said. "He would make a terrific candidate for U.S. Senate."

Labriola characterized the poll results, which showed Shays leading former Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz 48 to 37 percent, as telling.

"I think it's a testament to the weakness of the Democratic field and their national economic policies that we're attracting very qualified candidates interested in running for high office," Labriola said.

In addition to Murphy and Bysiewicz, the Democratic field includes state Rep. William Tong, of Stamford.

"I am sure that my counterpart would like to think that the Democrats have weak candidates and the Republicans have strong ones, but just look at the history in Connecticut," state Democratic Chairwoman Nancy DiNardo said. "I am confident that all of these seats are going to stay Democratic in 2012."

Bucking a national trend that saw a GOP takeover in the U.S. House of Representatives and the rise of the tea party movement in 2010, Connecticut remained true blue. Democrats swept all five congressional races, as well as every statewide office. Currently, they control the governor's office and both chambers of the General Assembly.

Shays lost his seat of 21 years in 2008 to Greenwich Democrat Jim Himes, who is currently serving his second term. During Shays' final term he was the lone New England Republican in the House.

"Chris, as with all the other Republicans, is more than welcome to compete in this race," DiNardo said. "But my question to him is, will he be taking these same extreme right-wing positions that so many other Republicans are taking, and is he waiting this out so he does not have to weigh in on the budget deficit and all of these other issues that are facing the country?"

After losing the 2008 race, Shays moved to St. Michaels, Md., and eventually sold his home in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport.

He and his wife, Betsi, own a condominium in Bridgeport, which they bought at the time he was debating whether to run for governor last year.

"Has he moved back to Connecticut yet?" DiNardo said.

Of the voters polled by Luntz, 46 percent had a favorable impression of Shays, compared to 19 percent unfavorable, a differential that GOP insiders said speaks volumes about the former congressman.

"I consider him a stalwart Republican and an asset to our party," Labriola said.

Staff writer Neil Vigdor can be reached at neil.vigdor@scni.com or at 203-625-4436.